Ice Hockey in 2010

North America

The longest championship drought in the NHL came to an end on June 9, 2010, when a dynamic core of young ice hockey players brought Chicago its first Stanley Cup since 1961 in dramatic fashion. In overtime of a thrilling game-six finale against the Philadelphia Flyers, Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane slipped the winner past goaltender Michael Leighton from a bad angle to set off a celebration that had been 49 years in the making. At first Kane, age 21, seemed to be the only person in Philadelphia’s Wachovia Center (now the Wells Fargo Center) that night who knew the puck was in the net—it was lodged, out of sight, under the goal’s padding—but soon the entire team scrambled off the Chicago bench to join in the euphoria. The Blackhawks won the game 4–3 and took the best-of-seven final series in six games.

Chicago’s sublimely talented 22-year-old centre Jonathan Toews, the second youngest captain to lead his team to a Stanley Cup, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP in the postseason. Toews had 29 points in 22 play-off games. From the moment he and Kane entered the league as rookies, joining one of the NHL’s worst teams for the 2007–08 season, Blackhawk management built a strong supporting cast around them. Quickly, a once-storied franchise that had for years been defined by small crowds and civic apathy became a huge success story both on and off the ice in the Windy City.

The 47 goals scored in the final series were the most in 30 years and the third highest in NHL history, and there was no shortage of subplots. Winger Marian Hossa, who had just joined Chicago in 2009, finally won his first championship after having been on the losing team’s roster in the previous two finals. Goaltender Antti Niemi became the first Finnish netminder to backstop his team to a Stanley Cup, and defenseman Duncan Keith, who lost seven teeth to an errant shot in the previous round, further solidified himself as one of the league’s top defenders.

The regular season, in which the Washington Capitals (54–15) were the league’s best team, also showcased one of the league’s best young players. Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos, age 20, became the second youngest player to lead the NHL in goals when he tied Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby with 51. Henrik Sedin, a veteran at 29, became the first member of the Vancouver Canucks to lead the league in points, with 112. In a vote by the media, he was also awarded the Hart Trophy as the regular season’s MVP. Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin won the Ted Lindsay Award—formerly the Lester B. Pearson Award—as the best player selected by the players. Buffalo defenseman Tyler Myers was named the league’s top rookie, while teammate Ryan Miller was acknowledged as the best goaltender.

Two of the greatest defensemen of recent vintage announced their retirement at the end of the season. Anaheim’s Scott Niedermayer and San Jose’s Rob Blake stepped aside after a combined 38 seasons in the league. Both won a Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defender, Blake in 1998 and Niedermayer in 2004. Also among those retiring were forwards Keith Tkachuk of St. Louis and Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour.

The Hockey Hall of Fame broke new ground by including women for the first time when it announced its induction class of 2010. Going into the Hall were American Cammi Granato and Canadian Angela James, once fierce rivals on the ice. Granato played on the U.S. national team for 15 years and won an Olympic gold medal in 1998. James was a four-time gold medalist for Canada when women were first allowed to compete in world championships in the 1990s but was unexpectedly excluded from Canada’s 1998 Olympic ice hockey team. Also going into the Hall of Fame was Dino Ciccarelli, who scored 608 goals over 19 NHL seasons before retiring during the 1998–99 season.

Typically, the off-season brought several key moves, including some good news for the league’s two franchises based in Florida. Tampa Bay hired highly regarded Steve Yzerman away from Detroit to serve as its general manager, while the Florida Panthers installed Dale Tallon, the main architect of the champion Blackhawks, as their general manager. In player movement, the Blackhawks retained their blossoming stars but dismantled much of their championship roster owing to salary-cap concerns. Other off-season dealings included defenseman Sergei Gonchar’s leaving Pittsburgh to sign with Ottawa, defenseman Anton Volchenkov’s jumping from Ottawa to New Jersey, and forward Olli Jokinen’s returning to Calgary after a stint with the New York Rangers. High-scoring winger Ilya Kovalchuk, the best player available as a free agent, signed a 17-year, $102 million contract to stay with the New Jersey Devils. After the NHL head office rejected the deal on the grounds that it circumvented the league’s collective bargaining agreement, he signed a restructured 15-year, $100 million contract.

International

Goaltender Jessie Vetter of the U.S. fails to block the puck from going into the net as Canadian Marie-Philip Poulin scores in the women’s ice hockey final at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Poulin, aged 18, accounted for both goals in Canada’s 2–0 gold-medal-winning victory over the Americans.Adrian Wyld—Canadian Press/APCanadian ice hockey star Sidney Crosby elevated himself to national hero in the gold medal match at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games in February 2010. In a brilliantly played finale to what many called the best ice hockey tournament ever staged, it was Crosby who scored the winning goal after Canada’s championship showdown against the U.S. careened into overtime. The Canadian team, shut out of the men’s medals at the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy, had been under tremendous pressure to win gold in 2010, especially with the tournament’s being staged on home ice. The tension was palpable when American Zach Parise tied the game at 2–2 with just 25 seconds remaining in regulation time. At 7 minutes 40 seconds into extra time, Crosby took a pass off the boards from teammate Jarome Iginla and fired a shot from a tough angle that beat U.S. goaltender Ryan Miller for a Canada 3–2 win. The standing-room-only crowd at Vancouver’s Hockey Canada Place erupted in euphoric celebration, as did living rooms and sports bars from coast to coast.

Winning the gold medal was vindication for goaltender Roberto Luongo, who was given the start over the legendary Martin Brodeur after Brodeur struggled in a 5–3 loss to the Americans during the preliminary round. Miller was named the Olympics’ top goaltender and tournament MVP, and fellow American Brian Rafalski got the nod as the top defenseman. Canada’s Jonathan Toews, who later led the Chicago Blackhawks to the NHL championship, was acknowledged as the top forward.

In the bronze medal game, Finland battled back from a 3–1 deficit to defeat Slovakia 5–3. Olli Jokinen scored twice in the third period, including the game winner, to pace the Finnish attack. Finland, silver medalist in Turin, was the only country to repeat as a men’s hockey medalist.

On the women’s side, Canada defeated the U.S. 2–0 in the final to make it an Olympic gold medal sweep for the host country. Behind a 28-save performance from goaltender Shannon Szabados, Marie-Philip Poulin, age 18, scored both goals for Canada, which had breezed through its three preliminary-round games by a cumulative score of 41–2, an imbalance that caused some to question whether women’s hockey belonged at the Olympics. In the bronze medal game, Karolina Rantamaki scored in overtime to give Finland a 3–2 victory over Sweden. Canadian forward Meghan Agosta was named the tournament MVP, scoring an Olympic record nine goals, a mark matched by Switzerland’s Stefanie Marty.

While it was overshadowed by the Winter Olympics, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) men’s world championship was held in Cologne, Ger., in May. Russia’s push for a third consecutive world title was thwarted by the Czech Republic, which beat Russia 2–1 in the gold medal game, thanks to goals from Jakub Klepis and Tomas Rolinek and an excellent 35-save performance from Czech goaltender Tomas Vokoun. Sweden beat Germany 3–1 to win the bronze medal. German goaltender Dennis Endras was named tournament MVP.

At the IIHF under-20 tournament, the Canadians’ dream of a sixth consecutive gold medal fell short as the U.S. beat them 6–5 in an overtime thriller in Saskatoon, Sask., in January. In a gold medal match replete with momentum swings and wild end-to-end action, tournament MVP Jordan Eberle of Canada scored two late goals in regulation time to erase a 5–3 American lead and push the game into extra time. That set the stage for American defenseman John Carlson, who scored his second goal of the game and secured the victory. In another high-scoring contest, Sweden defeated Switzerland 11–4 for the bronze medal.